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Man who killed cyclist had failed his driving test weeks earlier – live court updates

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Wales Online

A driver being sentenced for causing the death of a cyclist after a crash in Cardiff had failed his test just weeks before the incident, a court has heard. Brad Craven was out cycling with his brother on their routine morning ride when his bike was in a head-on collision with a car in the Grangetown area of the city.

The 72-year-old, from Roath, was taken to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, but never regained consciousness and died from his injuries on Friday, June 20. The collision occurred at around 8.40am on Saturday, May 17, on Dunleavy Drive, Grangetown.

Teddy Picton, 20, of Cog Road, Sully, Vale of Glamorgan, has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and is being sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court.

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During the sentencing hearing on Wednesday, the court heard the defendant was seen drinking the night before the crash and was on his way to pick up his work laptop from Grangetown on the morning of Saturday, May 17.

The court was told by the prosecution that the car Picton was driving, a Fiat 500, belonged to a female passenger but he was behind the wheel because of the woman’s level of intoxication.

Dan Jones, prosecuting, said the defendant only had a provisional driving licence, having failed his driving test a few weeks earlier, so he did not have a licence or insurance.

At the time of Mr Craven’s death, his family said: “He was a confident and experienced cyclist and was with his brother on their usual morning cycle when he suffered fatal injuries and did not regain consciousness following a head-on collision.

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“Brad, a retired social worker at Llandough Hospital, will be remembered by all, as a very thoughtful and caring man who always put the welfare of others before his own.”

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Love Island’s Ellie’s real reason for quitting as FIVE stars go with her

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Daily Mirror

Ellie Chadwick has reportedly walked out of the Love Island villa just days before the final but she is just one of five stars said to be leaving the villa in a mass cull

Love Island fans are heartbroken as favourite Ellie Chadwick has quit the villa, with some saying “there goes my reason for watching the show” – but why did she leave?

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Ellie is said to have walked out of Love Island last night (14 July), in dramatic scenes that will air soon. Her exit is said to have come as “a shock” to the Islanders, despite the fact that Ellie has threatened to leave a few times.

But, her statements have mostly come amid yet another love triangle that the Scot found herself in, as her partner Finley Maddock had his head turned by Elicia Bailey. Following last night’s recoupling, the two seem back on track and were seen cuddling in bed, causing many fans to wonder what could have happened to make Ellie finally decide to leave.

Shortly after the news was announced, the Sun added that Ellie’s exit comes alongside that of four other islanders. As such, in a mass exodus, five stars are set to leave the show – with the other four’s dumping coming as a result of a public vote.

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Taking to Reddit, some fans suggested the public vote will also be the reason Ellie leaves the show. At the end of Tuesday’s episode, viewers were given the opportunity to vote for their favourite boy and favourite girl, and some have suggested that the results put Ellie in a tough spot.

“I reckon Finley was voted least favourite and dumped so she followed,” one wrote. Others added that this “makes sense” and that Ellie probably felt there was “no point in staying” if Fin was gone.

Some were upset by the suggestion, with one fan noting that this was quite a turnaround from when she wanted to leave because he would be with someone else. They said: “Imagine she went from leaving because he’s acting the rat to leaving with him because he’s voted off.”

But others pointed out that it was unlikely Ellie would meet someone else in the week that remains on the show: “There’s only a week or two left, I really doubt there will be someone that could come in for Ellie that she could form a connection with. Especially with the journey she has had, I can see why she decided to just leave with him.”

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Though it may seem too soon for the results of the vote to have been revealed to the Islanders, ITV do sometimes have time to film a dumping the same night as the vote. This is because they often wait until nightfall for the dramatic scenes, which can cause filming to start well into the night. With the vote closing at 10:30pm, it was likely early enough to continue filming.

Some fans suggested that Fin wouldn’t be in the bottom three, as he appeared to be doing alright in fan polls. “I can’t see Finley being bottom 3 though? He was doing ok in the polls I saw,” wrote one.

Another agreed: “Yeah I assumed Jordan would have got the least votes as he’s always been lowest on polls and gives nothing to the show. Unless his sisters fans have voted him up.” This was referring to Casa Amor boy Jordan Wilson, whose sister Tianna has 11million subscribers on YouTube.

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Others suggested that even if Fin did not get dumped, the vote might still be the reason that Ellie leaves. Public votes have often been used not just to suss out who might be the least liked and put them at risk of being dumped, but to find the favourites and get them to pick who will go home.

Most recently, this happened when Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi were voted the favourite couple and had to pick another couple to send home. As Ellie has been voted favourite girl before, she may be put in that position.

One fan thought this could be it, saying: “Hear me out, because this might be a little bit crazy, but what if she gets favourite girl and is told she can get rid any islander for any reason and decides to walk rather than pick someone?”

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According to The Sun, who broke the news that Ellie was leaving, “viewers will see the dramatic action play out in an episode soon”. The publication quoted a source who said: “Viewers have seen Ellie threatening to leave across recent episodes, so the news of her now quitting won’t feel like a surprise. But in real time, her and Fin reconnected at the recoupling a few days ago so her decision to now leave is a shock.”

Following their addition that four other Islanders would leave, fans became even more convinced that Ellie leaves to be with Fin on the outside. One said: “Four other islanders are leaving so it’s totally going to be because of Fin.

“The bottom three boys and the bottom three girls will up for eviction and the other islanders will have to choose to save one each, with the boys choosing to save someone other than Fin (probably Samraj), so Ellie will leave with him.”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

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REVEALED: Hampshire test centre with only a four-week wait is the joint-second quickest location to get a driving test in England

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REVEALED: Hampshire test centre with only a four-week wait is the joint-second quickest location to get a driving test in England

Young drivers in Hampshire can count themselves lucky after learning that a test centre in the county provides one of the shortest waits to get a driving test across England.
In spite of tighter booking restrictions, a record 1.9 million tests taken last year, and an effort to recruit more driving examiners, the average driving test wait time in Britain is now almost 22 weeks.
The Government has banned third-party resellers from buying up slots and introducing rules that allow learners to only book a test in one of their three nearest test centres. And that’s great news for a chunk of future drivers in Hampshire who will be able to access the location with the smallest backlog.
The waiting time at Basingstoke is only four weeks making it the joint-second quickest location to get a driving test in England. The shortest wait to take a practical exam is in Hinckley, Leicestershire, where the delay is only two weeks.
The positive news was discovered by Adrian Flux, the UK’s largest specialist motor insurance broker. It first analysed wait times in October 2022 and has been keeping an eye on the topic ever since with their latest report painting a fairly miserable picture. The current wait across Britain is almost eight weeks higher than when the company first analysed the data almost four years ago.
Further analysis of the findings around delays in Hampshire showed that the four other test centres in the county – Lee On The Solent, Portsmouth, Southampton (Maybush) and Winchester – have the maximum wait time of 24 weeks.
Gerry Bucke, general manager of Adrian Flux, said: “The misery shows no signs of easing but at least there’s some serious respite if you live in and around Basingstoke and can choose it as one of your test centres.
“Drivers being made to wait are keeping sharp by learning to drive in their parents or grandparents cars and bolting on short-term insurance cover to their own policies. There’s ways around the problem and we’re here to help but it must be deeply frustrating. Getting on the road is a rite of passage and so many people are waiting longer than ever to be able to do that.”
The Government has already missed its first two targets for reducing backlogs to seven weeks. Hopes of meeting their deadline in December 2025 and then this summer have now been pushed back until autumn next year.
Transport secretary Heidi Alexander told MPs there are now almost 150 more examiners in the 12 months to May but conceded “demand is still very high” and there was still a lot of work to do.
The Adrian Flux average wait time in Britain has been calculated by finding the average mean value in order to take into account all values, including the extremes. The Government released data on this issue late last week, in which they have calculated the median wait time for each test centre, and will be updating this data on a monthly basis.

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Small boat migrants who gang-raped unconscious woman on beach face deportation after being jailed for 60 years for ‘degrading her in the most appalling way’ – as judge praises victim’s ‘tremendous bravery’

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Karin Al-Danasurt, who was found guilty of gang-rape, also has a previous conviction for murder

Three failed asylum seekers who gang-raped an unconscious woman on a beach in an ‘entirely predatory and callous attack’ face deportation after being handed lengthy jail sentences today.

Egyptians Karin Al-Danasurt and Ibrahim Alshafe, and Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi, were each handed extended terms of up to 27 years for their ‘predatory, callous and contemptuous’ behaviour.

The judge, Her Honour Judge Christine Henson KC, said the evidence of the small boat migrants at trial – when they denied raping the ‘vulnerable’ woman – offered ‘a chilling insight into your warped mindsets’.

She said: ‘The arrogant and entitled attitudes you each displayed that night continued throughout your trial.

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‘Each of you were prepared to say whatever it took to deflect your actions – lie after lie, blaming others from the police to interpreters to solicitors.’

Their victim, a local woman in her 30s who cannot be identified, became emotional as she bravely recalled the horrific 25-minute ordeal at the vile trio’s sentencing hearing today.

Her voice cracking slightly as she gave evidence behind a screen, she told the crown court in Hove: ‘They destroyed my life that night – they violated me in every way.

‘I could tear my skin off and still feel dirty.’

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Karin Al-Danasurt, who was found guilty of gang-rape, also has a previous conviction for murder

Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi was convicted by jurors, who deliberated for more than 16 hours

Iranian national Abdulla Ahmadi was convicted by jurors, who deliberated for more than 16 hours

Ibrahim Alshafe, also from Egypt, was convicted alongside his two co-defendants

Ibrahim Alshafe, also from Egypt, was convicted alongside his two co-defendants

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The three men were convicted of multiple counts of rape in April following a five-week trial.

Alshafe, and Ahmadi, who are both 26, were each handed a 21-year jail term for two rapes.

Al-Danasurt, 21, who filmed the assaults but did not penetrate the victim, was found guilty of four rapes, and handed a prison sentence of 18 years and six months.

All three were handed an additional six-year extended licence period following their eventual release from jail. They will be available for release after serving two-thirds of their prison sentences. 

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They have had their asylum claims turned down, and are expected to be deported, although the judge said this was now a matter for the Home Office.

The victim, praised by the judge for her ‘tremendous bravery’, was having a night out with friends when the trio lured her to a secluded part of Brighton beach.

They subjected her to a brutal attack in which they treated the defenceless victim like ‘meat’.

It later emerged that one of her attackers, Al-Danasurt, had already been convicted of murder in his homeland in 2022 but fled to Europe and crossed the Channel illegally in 2024.

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The UK authorities were none the wiser until Al-Danasurt mentioned the matter on his asylum application – and officials remain unable to verify their authenticity.

The victim of the callous attack left the nightclub shortly after 5am and made her way along the seafront, before being attacked behind a shed on Brighton Beach

The victim of the callous attack left the nightclub shortly after 5am and made her way along the seafront, before being attacked behind a shed on Brighton Beach

Reading her witness statement at the crown court in Hove, the woman said: ‘I don’t think I will ever drink again or go clubbing or go out in general.

‘It affects me in every way in daily life – most of the time it is okay, but sometimes it is unbearable.

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‘Most nights when I try to fall asleep I can hear the seagulls and them [the rapists] laughing.

‘It feels like I am back on the beach that night.’My skin crawls and no matter how much I scrub it I still cannot get clean.

‘I feel so embarrassed to have my body violated that night – I don’t think I will ever have a partner again.’

She added: ‘Sometimes not remembering might be better. I ask myself what kind of person does this, let alone three?’

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The trial heard how the trio filmed themselves getting ready at one of their asylum hotels then behaved like a ‘predatory pack’ after spotting the victim as she staggered along the promenade when she became separated from her friends after a night out.

Approaching her in the street at around 5.45am on October 4 last year, two of the men engaged her in conversation, and just four minutes later they could be seen on CCTV camera walking her towards a ramp down to the beach.

Al-Danasurt, pictured seated alongside co-defendants Ahmadi (centre) and Alshafe (right), all entered the country illegally before sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman

Al-Danasurt, pictured seated alongside co-defendants Ahmadi (centre) and Alshafe (right), all entered the country illegally before sexually assaulting a vulnerable woman 

The woman was then led behind a Beach Patrol shack and, as she drifted in and out of consciousness, Ahmadi and Alshafe brutally raped her.

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The pair were joined by Al-Danasurt who filmed her on his phone, laughing and repeatedly calling her: ‘Dirty b****, dirty b****.’

At one point he grabbed hold of her face, forced open her mouth and spat in it while encouraging his friends to do the same.

CCTV footage showed the group chatting up and groping other women throughout the night, including a friend of the woman they raped.

The trio then went back to one of their asylum hotels and had a barbecue.

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Prosecutor Hanna Llewellyn-Waters KC said they had not seen their victim as a human being but as a piece of ‘meat’, and had ‘a warped sence of pride in their debasement’ of her.

She described the trio’s behaviour today as ‘predatory, callous and contemptuous’, and said they were ‘devoid of humanity’.  

All three denied raping the woman. Al-Danasurt even shamelessly told jurors he was trying to ‘help’ the woman by filming her, and thereby building up evidence of the attack.

Al-Danasurt grins as he was led to the prison van after a previous court appearance

Al-Danasurt grins as he was led to the prison van after a previous court appearance

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But he did nothing to stop the violent assaults, and told jurors that ‘rape is sex’.

The other two said the sex was consensual.

Giving evidence during the trial, the woman told the court she was ‘begging them to stop’ as she drifted in and out of consciousness, but they did not.

She told jurors: ‘Every time I close my eyes I can see them laughing at me. Every night it bothers me.

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‘They thought it was funny. It wasn’t consensual at all. They have literally ruined my whole life.

‘I didn’t say they could do that. My skin crawls because of what they did to me.

‘They’re evil and they’ve ruined my life.’

She described herself as ‘paralytic drunk’ and said she had no recollection of how she came to be on Brighton beach.

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The migrants filmed themselves having a barbecue at their asylum hotelafter raping the woman

The migrants filmed themselves having a barbecue at their asylum hotelafter raping the woman

In one CCTV clip, Alshafe could be seen speaking to an unknown blonde female in Horizon nightclub in the early hours of October 4.

As she could not speak Arabic and he could not speak English, the pair communicated via the Google Translate app.

In a series of texts she asked him where he was from and told him he was welcome in the UK but questioned his motive for coming to the country.

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She asked him what his ‘goal’ was for the future and how he saw his life panning out in Britain.

Reading from the message, prosecutor Ms Llewellyn-Waters said the woman asked: ‘Is your only goal here to marry a British woman?’

He replied: ‘I am in this country. I will build my future, meet a woman, get married, have children and become a citizen.’

The case again exposed the fragility of the UK’s borders, with Al-Danasurt among the plethora of small boat migrants thought to have slipped into the country under an alias.

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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said following the conviction: ‘There are people who are taking our country for a ride, are coming here trying to claim asylum, which is for genuine refugees, when really they come here to do harm to others.

The trio were sentenced at Hove Trial Centre, not far from Brighton beach where the unconscious woman was raped

The trio were sentenced at Hove Trial Centre, not far from Brighton beach where the unconscious woman was raped 

‘This is why it’s really important that we solve this small boats crisis, that’s why I’ve changed the Conservative Party policy.

‘As a woman in particular, I do worry so much about a lot of men coming here with attitudes that are backwards and medieval and thinking that they can do whatever they like.

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‘We need to be very tough on them.’

Robert Jenrick, the former Tory immigration minister until 2023, who now represents Reform, said: ‘These evil men should never have been in our country.

‘I couldn’t care less if they have a hard time back in Egypt, they should be deported so they never step foot in this country again.

‘The small boat crisis is a national security emergency. Murderers, spies and gangsters are crossing with impunity and it’s destroying lives.’

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Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch, said: ‘Scum like Al-Danasurt should never be admitted, let alone allowed to stay, to commit more heinous crimes.

‘What about the human rights of innocent victims? He must be deported, now.’

The prosecutor told court today that ‘extensive requests’ had taken place ‘at the very highest of levels’ to try and verify Al-Danasurt’s previous murder conviction, but without success.

Ms Llewellyn-Waters said: ‘What is quite clear during the course of the second full interview (with the Home Office) is, it is his account that he stands convicted of murder in absence and he has received a sentence of 15 years.’

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She said Al-Danasurt said he was innocent. 

The court heard Ahmadi has since offered to apologise ‘face to face’ to the victim, and has signed paperwork agreeing to his deportation.

But he also asked the court for the police to give him his mobile phone back.  

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a new way to make sense of the heat pouring into our oceans

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a new way to make sense of the heat pouring into our oceans

Imagine almost every person on Earth doing nothing but making cups of tea, day and night, one every second – and pouring every single one into the sea.

It sounds absurd. Yet it helps us picture one of the biggest changes happening to our planet.

Although we experience global warming through hotter air and record-breaking heatwaves, the atmosphere is only a sideshow, which we happen to especially notice because we live within it. The more important feature is that the ocean is absorbing some 90% of the extra heat now being trapped at the Earth’s surface.

This heat is being measured year by year, with increasing precision, by a network of satellites and ocean-based instruments. A few years ago, Chinese climate scientist Lijing Cheng and colleagues put together all the data for 2021 from this ocean-wide panoply of devices. The oceans, they said, absorbed some 15 zettajoules of energy that year. That sounds impressive – but what does it mean?

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A zettajoule is 1 followed by 21 noughts: unintelligible in itself, and even more confusing when placed in stark contrast to the humble joule, which is the energy needed to raise 0.239 grams of water by 1°C. To try to convey the hugeness of 15 zettajoules, one needs to find some suitable analogy. One common comparison is that it’s the energy equivalent of seven Hiroshima-scale atom bombs exploding every second. It’s a dramatic and oft-used image – but (luckily) outside most people’s direct experience.

That’s why we wanted to bring things a little closer to home. Let’s use a mug of tea.

What’s brewing in the oceans?

Heating a mug of tea needs about 100,000 joules. Divide 15 zettajoules by that figure, and then divide that by the number of seconds in year, gives 4.8 billion mugs of hot tea entering the ocean each second.

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100,000 joules: a splash in the ocean.
Zayed Ahmed Zadu / unsplash, CC BY-SA

We can even try to be properly scientific about this, and invent the measure of a billion mugs of hot tea per second. Following the scientific convention of “giga” for billion, you could even use gigamugs per second: or GMug/s. In 2021, ocean heat input was running at 4.8 GMug/s.

These are large numbers, and it is sobering that the energy directly expended for global human use each year (from all sources) is much smaller: a bit more than half a zettajoule – or some 0.2 billion mugs of hot tea per second in our new measure. Make a mug of tea with fossil-fuelled energy, and the carbon dioxide emitted in that simple process means that you are also doing the equivalent of pouring a dozen or more mugs of hot tea into the sea.

The oceans are absorbing even more heat

But global warming has not been standing still since 2021. It has been accelerating, partly because greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, partly because the air is getting cleaner and letting more sunlight in, and perhaps partly because warming is beginning to reduce reflective cloud cover, allowing even more heat to be absorbed. This would be an example of a positive feedback: warming causing changes that lead to yet more warming. If so, that could be a slippery slope for the global climate – and for us.

Global average ocean temperature anomaly from the surface to nearly 2000 m depth over the past 20 years:

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graph of ocean warming

The Argo programme uses a fleet of more than 4,000 autonomous robots around the world to measure ocean temperatures. Argo data shows the sea is warming from top to bottom, though fastest at the surface.
Martin Head / Argo

That acceleration has now been measured in the oceans too. An updated analysis estimated that, in 2025, the oceans absorbed about 23 zettajoules of extra energy. That’s roughly half as much again as the 2021 figure, although the precise figure is subject to natural variation and measurement uncertainty.

Translating that into our new measure means the oceans are now absorbing the equivalent of some 7.6 billion cups of hot tea every second. That’s almost one cup every second for every person on the planet – just as we asked you to imagine at the start.

That extra heat is the physical effect of the trillion or more tonnes of carbon dioxide, plus other greenhouse gases, that we have added to the air since we began burning fossil fuels in earnest, some two centuries ago. It’s raising sea levels, driving marine heat waves and melting polar ice.

The tea cup analogy is one way of getting the point across – that the Earth is absorbing ever more heat. It’s something to remember as national promises of pathways to net zero become increasingly diluted, delayed, mocked or forgotten, and as investments in fossil fuels rise steeply: a path that might briefly enrich oil company shareholders, but that will permanently impoverish and endanger everyone else, for countless generations to come.

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Better by far to invest instead in energy sources that are not carbon-based. That’s something to ponder on, over a cup of tea.

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My dad’s from Oxford and I grew up there. But here’s why (unlike my England-supporting brother) I’ll be cheering for Argentina tonight, says VANESSA BELL

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When Lionel Messi and the rest of the Argentine team line up to sing their national anthem tonight, I will be singing my heart out alongside them, writes Vanessa Bell

It’s billed as one of the biggest grudge matches ever witnessed in international football. And for good reason. 

The Falklands War, the Hand of God, Beckham vs Diego Simeone (remember the 1998 World Cup when Becks reacted with fury after being fouled by the Argentine, kicking out at the player who feigned collapse, earning the England midfielder a red card and widespread vilification back home).

While England and Argentina have disagreed for decades over the right and wrongs of the political and sporting divides between the two countries, this is a match that will divide my family.

For when Lionel Messi, ‘Dibu’ Martinez, Julián Alvarez and the rest of the Argentine team line up to sing their national anthem tonight, I will be singing my heart out alongside them and their 45million countrymen from a bar in Buenos Aires.

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Meanwhile, Matthew, 43, my younger brother by three years, will be belting out ‘football’s coming home…’ and cheering on every one of Jude Bellingham’s penetrating runs and Harry Kane’s decisive headers.

So whose loyalty is the truest? Both of us were born in England and raised on the same diet of baked beans, Marmite and rhubarb crumble and custard. 

My father, a doctor and Olympic fencer from Oxford, and my mother, a teacher and aspiring actress from Buenos Aires, met in Paris in the late 1970s.

My first few years were spent living in cosmopolitan Montparnasse in Paris, where my father worked for The American Hospital. 

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We moved to the sleepy English village of Dinton in Buckinghamshire in 1985. I was five, and even now remember the distinct feeling of being out of place and craving acceptance from my peers.

When Lionel Messi and the rest of the Argentine team line up to sing their national anthem tonight, I will be singing my heart out alongside them, writes Vanessa Bell

It was during the 1986 World Cup that I took stock of my Argentine heritage for the first time. Watching my homesick mother rooting for her country’s team, match-after-nail-biting match, made a huge impression on me.

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Together we lived the drama of that fateful encounter against England in the quarter-finals, with Maradona´s controversial goal quickly followed by his Goal of the Century, a piece of individual genius that dumped England out of the tournament.

My mother was elated when Argentina won the cup. In pretty Dinton, as English as it could be with its 12th-century church and village green, she was moved to tears by Maradona’s iconic pose as he hoisted the trophy high above his head.

I was captivated. It marked the beginning of my unwavering support for Argentina.

Our mother spoke to us Spanish, in a porteño (from Buenos Aires) accent, sang traditional nursery rhymes, dished up family recipes and acclimatised us to Argentine passion. 

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It was imperative that we spoke Spanish since her relatives didn´t speak English. Language was her way of connecting us. 

We´d count down the days till we went to visit her family in the Argentine capital, usually over the Christmas holidays, happily leaving behind the grim English winter, and showing off our exotic tans to our school friends on our return.

My brother was born in 1982, the year Argentinian troops occupied the Falkland Islands. 

My mother recalls a frosty reception crossing the English border during and in the immediate aftermath of the war. I remember my parents discussing the conflict at home, abhorring Margaret Thatcher’s decision to torpedo the ARA General Belgrano.

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For Argentina today, the Falklands War is far from over. 

Their claim for sovereignty of the islands persists, and the Malvinas, as they’re known there, are everywhere – the islands’ outline emblazoned on T-shirts, on road-signs, tattooed on chests and plastered on the side of buses with the accompanying slogan ´Las Malvinas son Argentinas´ (Las Malvinas are Argentine).

For many Argentinians, England and Thatcher stand for everything that is anti-Argentine and unpatriotic, yet it often feels more political than a tangible dislike for English people.

Indeed there has always been a great appreciation and love of British culture and customs. 

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Many send their kids to bilingual English schools, fixate over bands such as The Beatles and Oasis, and have a particular obsession with the Rolling Stones. 

My brother and I moved to London, and while he found his feet and flourished, for me it felt hostile and frantic, and that I was trapped on a hamster wheel.

I’d long toyed with the idea of moving to Argentina and, on the eve of my 30th birthday – 16 years ago – I bit the bullet and left. 

I was drawn to the warmth and openness of Buenos Aires. Here, people work to live and never need an excuse to socialise. In Argentina, the sobremesa (after dinner conversation) is a religion, and spending Sunday lunch with friends and family is sacred.

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Soon after arriving, I applied for my Argentine citizenship and began teaching English. I became a freelance writer for international media and set up a successful concierge service called Creme de la Creme, creating curated tours and itineraries of Buenos Aires for discerning tourists.

rawn to the warmth and openness of Buenos Aires. Here, people work to live and never need an excuse to socialise. In Argentina, the sobremesa (after dinner conversation) is a religion, and spending Sunday lunch with friends and family is sacred

Drawn to the warmth and openness of Buenos Aires, Vanessa moved there 16 years ago

When Argentine beat Switzerland 3-1 on Sunday, and knowing they would be facing England in the semi-final, the Argentinian coach Lionel Scaloni immediately insisted: ‘It’s a football match. Let’s not read too much into it.’

Yet for countless Argentinians, it is so much more than that. For many, it’s an open wound that won´t heal, a cross to bear. It’s even seen as a way of honouring the veterans who fought in that war.

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Meetings and social engagements have been postponed for later in the week. Schools and offices will close early. 

The atmosphere in Buenos Aires is expectant, the tension palpable. Children at the park frantically swap football cards in the hope of scoring Messi. Regulars at the local pizzeria earnestly discuss tactics, while blue and white flags festoon the streets, shop windows and car windshields.  

People here are highly superstitious and many have their rituals (called cábalas), which they truly believe can influence results.

Sitting in a specific spot on the sofa, wearing the same clothes, popping out at half time to buy cigarettes. Even Visa Argentina´s World Cup advertising campaign shows midfielder Rodrigo de Paul reminding people about their acts of good luck.

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Nowadays, my motives for supporting Argentina are tied up with my feelings of gratitude towards my adoptive country. 

Over 16 years, I´ve been able to forge a career and prosper, follow my dreams and build a family with my Argentine partner.

So tonight I’ll be clutching my lucky Messi sticker and sitting at the same table at the same neighbourhood bar as I have done for all of Argentina’s matches. I’m not taking any chances.

As for our bilingual four-year-old son, Messi and the Argentine squad have captured his heart.

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I am expecting some friendly banter between my brother over text – and will naturally raise a glass to England if they emerge the victor. But for the sake of my loyalty to Argentina, I can´t cheer your heroes on. Luckily, we have plenty of our own.

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Millions of middle-aged Britons face waiting longer for state pensions because retirement age ‘will be raised earlier’

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A government review published in March last year indicated that if life expectancy returned to the trajectory expected in 2014 the state pension age could be 71 by the late 2050s

Millions of people face waiting longer for their state pensions amid claims the Government has decided to speed up the age rise.

The Treasury has told its OBR watchdog that the threshold will increase to 68 between 2037 and 2039.

That is seven years earlier than the 2044-2046 timetable currently laid out in legislation. 

It would mean around five million people now aged between 49 and 55 working an extra year before being eligible for the payments – costing them about £12,500 each but saving the Government £6billion a year.

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The shift comes despite Labour ministers being heavily critical of the way the Coalition administration ‘rushed’ through the previous age increases.

Pensions minister Torsten Bell – who has previously seemed to hint that age rises should be slower because of a lack of progress in life expectancy – played down the significance. 

He stressed a review is under way and the Treasury was merely reflecting the position of the previous Tory Government. 

However, experts warned that middle-aged Brits face ‘real uncertainty’ over their retirements and demanded new PM Andy Burnham provides ‘clarity’. 

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A government review published in March last year indicated that if life expectancy returned to the trajectory expected in 2014 the state pension age could be 71 by the late 2050s  

Eperts warned that middle-aged Brits face 'real uncertainty' over their retirements and demanded new PM Andy Burnham provides 'clarity'

Eperts warned that middle-aged Brits face ‘real uncertainty’ over their retirements and demanded new PM Andy Burnham provides ‘clarity’

The apparent confirmation was slipped out in the OBR’s fiscal risks report last week. It assumed that the state pension age would increase to 68 between 2037 and 2039, adding: ‘The Treasury has confirmed to us that this is the Government’s current policy position, rather than the legislated increase set in the Pensions Act 2007.’

The pension age is already slated to reach 67 between April this year and 2028.

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Currently the legal position is that it will reach 68 from 2044-46.

However, a previous report by former Tesco director Baroness Neville-Rolfe warned that might need to be accelerated.

With the so-called triple lock in place there are estimates the level would have to hit 74 by 2068–69 in order to maintain spending at around 6 per cent of GDP.

The OBR’s central projection is for spending on the state pension to go from 5 per cent of GDP at the end of this decade to 9 per cent of GDP by 2075-76. 

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Posting on X, Mr Bell said: ‘Legislation sets out that the State Pension age is due to rise to 68 in the 2040s. 

‘The previous Tory government said it wanted to bring this forward to the late 2030s – that is what this story is referring to NOT anything this govt has said.’

He added: ‘We have not announced any change of policy – and certainly not this specific one. 

‘There is currently a review of the State Pension age underway – that is simply because legislation (the 2014 Act) requires the Secretary of State to conduct such reviews on a fairly regular basis.’ 

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Giving evidence to the Work and Pensions Committee in March, Mr Bell said he thought ministers had been too ‘relaxed’ about the impact of state pension age increases in the past. 

Committee chair Debbie Abrahams challenged Mr Bell that life expectancy had been increasing much more slowly for lower income households, saying it had actually fallen in her Oldham constituency.

The minister said ‘a lot’ of weight would be put on the needs of those who were not benefiting from wider improvements in life expectancy.

‘If I take the long view… state pension increases have been going on for different reasons since the early 1990s,’ he said.

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‘There’s obviously to some degree a consensus that as you see increases in longevity there will be consequential changes in the state pension age to some degree.

Pensions minister Torsten Bell - who has previously seemed to hint that age rises should be slower because of a lack of progress in life expectancy - played down the significance

Pensions minister Torsten Bell – who has previously seemed to hint that age rises should be slower because of a lack of progress in life expectancy – played down the significance

The apparent confirmation was slipped out in the OBR's fiscal risks report last week

The apparent confirmation was slipped out in the OBR’s fiscal risks report last week

The OBR has highlighted the rising cost of the state pension in the coming decades

The OBR has highlighted the rising cost of the state pension in the coming decades

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‘I think sometimes what that has flipped into too easily into is being relaxed about that, not weighing that.

‘You can take seriously the need to support people working into later life while taking very seriously the consequences in the distributional…

‘If I was looking at the changes in 2011 for example and some of the comments I saw from then-ministers after very fast accelerations of SPA… I would say they weren’t weighing seriously enough those consequences in the way they went about it.’

Lady Rolfe previously suggested setting a rule that Britons receive pensions for 31 per cent of the average life expectancy.

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Those principles would have big implications for younger workers, with the Tory peer saying that the retirement age should reach 68 between 2041 and 2043.

It could then reach 69 between 2046 and 2048 – with those projections indicating that it would need to hit 70 in the early 2050s.

That would be when people born in the 1980s would be looking to bow out of the workplace.

Dr Suzy Morrissey has been commissioned to look at the ‘factors government should consider’ on state pension age.

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And the Government Actuary’s Department has been asked to produce a report on the proportion of adult life in retirement.

However, final decisions had been expected to be kicked into the next Parliament, despite concerns about giving people enough time to prepare for changes.

Lily Megson-Harvey, Policy Director at My Pension Expert: ‘For millions of people currently in their 50s, this latest speculation creates real uncertainty over when they will be able to claim their State Pension.

‘Retirement planning takes decades, and people need confidence that they can make informed decisions about when to stop working, how much they need to save and what their income will look like in later life. If the timetable is going to change, the new Prime Minister must provide clarity as soon as possible so savers have the certainty they need to plan ahead.

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‘Anyone who could be affected should consider reviewing their retirement plans and seeking financial advice to understand what any future changes could mean for their long-term finances. A sustainable State Pension is important, but it must not come at the expense of giving people certainty and confidence as they approach retirement.’

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England vs Argentina LIVE: World Cup semi-final kick-off time, updates, build-up and team news

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Lamine Yamal

England has been called “invaders” and “usurping pirates” by Argentina’s vice-president in a bizarre rant of tonight’s World Cup semi-final.

Political tensions linger between Argentina and Great Britain over the Falkland Islands, which boiled over into conflict in 1982.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said pre-match it would be “madness” to mix up sport and politics, but his nation’s vice-president Victoria Villarruel didn’t take the same viewpoint in a message on X.

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“Tomorrow we play against the usurping pirates,” the post began. “This isn’t just another match. I’m not going to be politically correct or cold-hearted; against the English, it’s always something more.

“It’s the Malvinas, it’s Diego, it’s Leo’s last one, and it’s putting the brakes on the invaders. Go Argentina! Because until our last breath, we’re going to claim what’s ours!”

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Tartan Army member claims Boston could ‘improve’ with these Scottish changes

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Daily Record

He shared that one change he ‘holds quite close to his heart’.

The Tartan Army well and truly left an impression on Boston during their World Cup journey, with Boston and Glasgow even becoming sister cities. However, one member has shared some of the Scottish things he would add to the American city to make it even better.

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Taking to Instagram to share his views, account user @giodoesinterviews shared that some of his new Scottish additions are very ‘close to his heart’. Sharing his love for Boston, he also asked his viewers to give their own suggestions of how they could elevate Massachusetts with a Scottish twist.

In the clip, Giovanni said: “Here’s some things in Scotland that I think would improve Boston as a city. First thing is morning rolls. These are the best, I think Americans would love them and they’re a lot better than bacon, egg, and cheese.”

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He continued: “Second thing is something I use quite a lot – public transport. You know the only downfall to Boston was trying to taxi it everywhere. I mean, I think I saw like two buses in my whole time and one was like a boat that could go into the water.

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“The third one I don’t really use a lot but these water fountains in Glasgow. I don’t really get much use out of them but see if I was in like 30 degree heat the way it is in Boston, you can just get water out of a tap for free.”

The final improvement Gio shared was the one he was the most passionate about. He said: “This is something I hold quite close to my heart – chippies. I couldn’t find any good chippies in Boston or a chippy in general for that matter.

“I had a fish and chips from the Cheesecake Factory but that was stinking and I’m pretty sure it had been sitting there for a couple of days.”

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Many Bostonians were quick to amend Gio’s improvements as quite a few highlighted the food and transport services in the city.

One person wrote: “Did you use the subway system when you were in Boston? I’m pretty sure it has a better network than Glasgow.”

With another viewer also noting: “The funniest thing is that Boston has one of the best public transportation in the entire US. Try going to Vegas or Orlando and you’ll see why.”

Meanwhile, others urged Giovanni to return to the States so they could show him some local favourites for eating out.

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A third commenter noted: “There are places that make a decent fish and chips. Mcgonagles in Dorchester is pretty far from downtown but I’ve heard they have one of the best.”

With another Bostonian also echoing: “Locals don’t eat at Cheesecake. Come back and we will show you the local spots!”

Another viewer also noted: “I think the one thing I noticed from watching all of the Scotland posts, like dozens of different people, was that you guys were eating stuff that we definitely do not eat or consider to be high-quality. So you probably should come back and sample more independent cuisine.”

However, one viewer did pitch their own idea of how to improve Boston, suggesting: “Something that would make Boston better: more Scottish people.”

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Who did Gray kill in EastEnders as murderer stages shock return? | Soaps

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Who did Gray kill in EastEnders as murderer stages shock return? | Soaps
Will Gruesome Gray add any more EastEnders to his list of victims? (Picture: BBC/Metro)

This article contains spoilers from tonight’s episode of EastEnders, which is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

After more than four years away from EastEnders, Gray Atkins, the monstrous lawyer with a murderous streak a mile wide, is set to make shocking return to Walford.

Before the crazed killer makes his comeback, let’s reacquaint ourselves with one of Walford’s most evil residents…

An EastEnders promo of Gray Atkins, looking seriously into the camera, and standing against a grey backdrop.
Look who’s back. (Picture: BBC)

Who is Gray and who plays him?

Albert Square’s most sinister solicitor first set foot on the Square in Walford in 2019 with wife Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer). They appeared to have the picture perfect marriage. Behind closed doors, Gray made Chantelle’s every day a waking nightmare by inflicting severe mental, emotional and physical abuse, not to mention coercive control and gaslighting.

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The iconic soap villain is portrayed by actor Toby-Alexander Smith, also known for playing Jason Carwell in the BBC medical soap Doctors, and Lor-Ran in SyFy’s Superman spinoff Krypton. He is married to Amy Walsh, best known to Emmerdale fans as Tracy Shankley. The couple welcomed their first daughter, Bonnie, in 2021, and in March this year, they introducedtheir second, Nell.

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Toby has spoken openly about his struggle with male post-natal depression, and the importance of being a positive male role models to both his daughters.

Amy and Toby have two little girls. (Picture: Jo Hale/Getty Images)

Who did Gray kill?

During his three year stint on the Square, Gray racked up a bone-chilling body count of three beloved Walford residents.

His first victim was, tragically, Chantelle.

In a terrifying twist uncommon in a soap domestic abuse story, Chantelle was unable to escape no matter how hard she tried. Even after suffering a miscarriage when Gray pushed her down the stairs, Chantelle was gaslit by her abuser into believing that it was her fault she lost their baby.

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Chantelle became the first victim of Gray’s murderous rampage. (Picture: BBC)

During the Covid-19 pandemic, EastEnders took advantage of the break in filming by showing how much Gray’s toxic behaviour had worsened over lockdown. Finally, Chantelle reached breaking point and began secretly consulting a divorce lawyer. Unfortunately, Gray discovered her plans to flee and in harrowing scenes, furiously shoved his wife onto an open dishwasher, causing fatal injuries.

While he managed to play the grieving husband and stage Chantelle’s death as a horrific accident, not everybody was convinced.

Tina Carter (Luisa Bradshaw-White) smelled a rat and eventually caught Gray in a lie, using her own history with an abusive relationship to recognize the signs of control. It didn’t take her long to piece all the facts together and realise the awful truth – Gray killed Chantelle.

This discovery sealed Tina’s fate.

Desperate to silence her, Gray attacked Tina and strangled her to death.

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Tina’s grim discovery sealed her fate as Gray’s second victim. (Picture: BBC)

Gray hid Tina’s body under the floorboards of the Argee Bhajee and tricked her family into believing she went on the run.

Then came Gray’s third and final victim, Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami).

While Gray’s other murders were committed out of rage and desperation, Kush met his end due to sheer, green-eyed jealousy. The bloodthirsty lawyer developed a dangerous obsession with the hoop-eared darling of the Queen Vic, the iconic Whitney Dean (Shona McGarty). Needless to say, when Kush and Whitney got engaged, it drove Gray into a jealous frenzy.

Discovering the couples’ plan to leave Walford to start afresh, Gray followed them to the London Underground. There a violent struggle on the platform ensued which dramatically spilled onto the tracks, where a vengeful Gray claimed his third victim by pushing Kush into the path of an oncoming train.

Kush’s love for Whitney made him a target for Gray. (Picture: BBC)

How did Gray’s reign of terror end?

It would be another year before Gray was finally brought to justice. His downfall came at the hands of Whitney, and his second wife,Chelsea Fox (Zaraah Abrahams).

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Unaware of his blood-soaked past, Chelsea had a whirlwind romance with Gray, becoming pregnant with his child and getting married soon afterwards.

Then Chelsea discovered that Gray murdered his first wife.

Terrified, she began plotting her escape as Gray started exhibiting coercive and controlling tendencies again. The experience was so terrifying that Chelsea went into labour as a result of her harrowing discoveries and gave birth to their son, Jordan (Izaiah Hagan-Brown).

Chelsea was in great danger of becoming Gray’s fourth victim. (Picture: BBC)

Assisted by Whitney and Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol), Chelsea gathered evidence and records Gray confessing to all his crimes while on the phone to the police. With his crimes finally exposed to all on the Square, Gray was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.

Why is Gray back and what happens now?

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He’s coming to get you, Chelsea. (Picture: BBC)

Gray might be rotting in prison, but that doesn’t mean he can’t pose a threat. Since Jordan suffered life-changing injuries from a hit-and-run, Chelsea’s been so overwhelmed that she reluctantly accepted assistance Gray’s grandmother Sheila Atkins (Sheila Ruskin) – who is of course, still visiting Gray in prison.

In tonight’s episode, the villain is already pushing Sheila to do anything she can to stay in Jordan’s life, so she can provide him with updates about his son.

Sheila is spying on Chelsea on Gray’s behalf. (Picture: BBC)

However, an obstacle to Gray’s twisted plan is Chelsea’s mother, the unstoppable Denise Fox (Diane Parish).

Despite struggling with a heartbreaking leukemia diagnosis, the no-nonsense Mama Bear of Clan Fox-Hubbard is still very much in charge when she warns Sheila to stay away from her family in tonight’s episode.

Unfortunately, Gray always had a problem with taking no for an answer.

Surely it’s only a matter of time before Gray escapes prison and tries to bring fresh slaughter to the Square… but will he claim victim number four?

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Person cut from vehicle and three injured in Stanley crash

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Person cut from vehicle and three injured in Stanley crash

Emergency services were called to a two-vehicle crash on Tanfield Lea Road, Stanley, just after noon yesterday (July 14).

Three people were taken to the University Hospital of North Durham for further treatment.

Both vehicles were recovered, and the road was reopened around 2pm.

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A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said: “We received a call at 12.03pm on Tuesday 14 July to reports of a road traffic incident on the junction of West Street and Tanfield Lea in Stanley, County Durham.

“We dispatched two ambulance crews to the scene and transported three patients to UHND for further treatment.”

A County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service (CDDFRS) spokesperson said: “We were called at 12.06pm yesterday (July 14) to a road traffic collision involving two cars on Tanfield Lea Road at the junction with West Street, Stanley.

“Two fire engines from High Handhold and Consett Fire Stations attended. Crews left the scene at 1.20pm”

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A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary said: “We were called to reports of a two-vehicle road traffic collision in Tanfield Lea Road, Stanley. The fire service and ambulance service also attended and one person had to be cut out of a vehicle. Three people are believed to have been hurt.”

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